Winchester Mystery House: Ghosts, Legends, and Hoaxes
If you’ve heard of the Winchester Mystery House in San Jose, California, you’ve surely heard the rumors about its famous owner, Sarah Winche...
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Society & Culture
Conspiracy Theories
The truth is rarely the best story. And when it’s not the only story, the truth deserves another look. Every Wednesday, we tell the complicated stories behind the world’s most controversial...
Episodes
20 of 590 episodes
The Possessed Nuns of Loudun
Beginning in 1632, a convent of young Ursuline nuns made startling claims – from seeing dead priests, to being possessed by a horde of Satan...
Panic in the Streets: The War of the Worlds Radio Broadcast
On Halloween Eve, 1938 Orson Welles' The War of the Worlds aired on CBS radio. It detailed an alien invasion so realistic that, according to...
Did a Psych Experiment Turn Ted Kaczynski into the Unabomber?
On April 3, 1996, Theodore “Ted” Kaczynski – better known as the Unabomber – was arrested, ending a 17-year-long bombing spree that left 3 d...
Did Andy Kaufman Fake His Own Death?
No comedian surprised people like Andy Kaufman. He was always one step ahead of the audience. In fact, he was so good at pulling pranks that...
Missing Heiress: The Disappearance of Juanita Nielsen
On July 4th, 1975, journalist and Sydney heiress Juanita Nielsen disappeared. Most assumed she was the victim of foul play. After all, for y...
The Chupacabra: Puerto Rico’s Vampire Cryptid
The chupacabra is considered the third most widely known cryptid in the world, behind Bigfoot and the Loch Ness Monster – kind of mind-blowi...
Chuck Barris: Game Show Host and CIA Assassin?
Chuck Barris created game show classics like The Dating Game and The Gong Show. However, his memoir claims his prolific career was all a cov...
Conspiracy of Silence: The Town That Killed Ken Rex McElroy
1981, Skidmore, Missouri. Ken McElroy, the “bully of Nodaway County,” is gunned down in the street – in broad daylight, and in front of his...
Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison, and the Laurel Canyon Conspiracy
In the 1960s, a new musical revolution emerged from Laurel Canyon, California. Bands like The Beach Boys, The Doors, and Crosby, Stills & Na...
UFO Over the Bass Triangle? The Disappearance of Fred Valentich
On October 21st, 1978, 20-year-old pilot Fred Valentich disappeared while flying across the Bass Strait, off the southeastern coast of Austr...
Was 'The Battle of the Sexes' Fixed?
On September 20, 1973, tennis star Billie Jean King defeated Bobby Riggs in “The Battle of the Sexes,” notching a victory for feminism, wome...
Rewind: Bohemian Grove
This July, we’re revisiting five classic topics in our Conspiracy Theories: Rewind series! This week: Every summer, members and guests of th...
Rewind: The Denver Airport
This July, we’re revisiting five classic topics in our Conspiracy Theories: Rewind series! Denver International Airport is said to be holdin...
Rewind: Area 51, S4, and the Rise of Bob Lazar
This July, we’re revisiting five classic topics in our Conspiracy Theories: Rewind series! Its existence and location were not formally ackn...
Rewind: Marilyn Monroe
This July, we’re revisiting five classic topics in our Conspiracy Theories: Rewind series! Marilyn Monroe has been a cultural icon since she...
Rewind: The Titanic
This July, we’re revisiting five classic topics in our Conspiracy Theories: Rewind series! First up, one of our most-requested stories: The...
The Mind-Bending MK Ultra Experiments of Dr Ewen Cameron
When the Allan Memorial Institute opened its doors in 1943, its founders believed it would revolutionize mental health care. Under the direc...
The Simpsons and Predictive Programming
Some believe that the government plants references to future global atrocities into popular media– subconsciously conditioning the public to...
The Press Your Luck Scandal
On May 19, 1984, an ice cream truck driver from Ohio named Michael Larson wins more than $100,000 on the CBS daytime game show Press Your Lu...